However, I wonder if you are underestimating much we could get out of the top 1% in the best of all worlds. Bill Gates' $40 billion alone could go a long way.
But then I'm not an economist.
-Andy English
From: Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com>.
>
>Nathan, I'm not talking about programs to benefit just the
>below-median crowd. I'm talking about basic social democratic
>programs - universal health coverage, free tuition, etc. And to fund
>those you can't just tax the top 1% of the population.
>
>Talking about political losers, countries with "targeted" programs,
>like the U.S. (and your buddy Bill loves targeted programs) have
>higher poverty rates and cheesier benefit packages than those with
>universal programs. Targeted programs are also politically less
>secure than universal ones, as the transformation of AFDC into TANF
>shows. Also, note that most "tax rebellions" have happened in the
>liberal countries, with their targeted programs; they haven't really
>happened in the social democracies with universal programs. So your
>brand of realpolitik ends up being a worse long-term arrangement than
>something more ambitious might be. As they said in '68, be
>reasonable, demand the impossible.
>
>Doug